Central City, 2033
by Pir8grl
Summary: Sara and Snart have an...interesting encounter. Hey, why work on a WIP when I can get into all sorts of new trouble? Please don't trouble yourselves about the mechanics of how they got there…I just wanted this encounter to happen.
1. Chapter 1

"Sara!"

Sara Lance groaned and stirred at the sound of a familiar voice calling her name. She tried to piece together where she was and what had just happened, but her mind was a blank and her body refused to obey her. Every bone in her body ached like she'd just been thrown against a brick wall.

"Sara! What are you doing out here by yourself?"

There was the sound of running footsteps, and then gentle hands were lifting her and turning her over. A sharp gasp, and then the voice that had been warm with concern turned cold with accusation.

"You're not my Sara."

She blinked open her eyes woozily. The face above her was as familiar as the voice, and yet…not. "You're not my crook."

His face was older, more heavily lined. More gray in his hair. He looked a bit scruffy and unkempt, with a small scar marring one cheek, but his eyes… His eyes were the same piercing blue, and they were filled with wonder and reverence and…love. One hand hovered over her cheek.

"How are you here?" he breathed.

Sara sucked in a sharp breath and jerked away from his touch. "Where is here?"

He sat back, hands up as if he were under arrest. There was a flash of hurt in his eyes that he couldn't conceal quite quickly enough.

"Central City."

"Well, that's where we were headed, but this doesn't look like 2018."

"That's because it's 2033," he drawled.

Sara scrooged her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead. "Not again."

* * *

Snart picked his way carefully through the debris that littered the abandoned warehouse. He vaguely recollected it as a place he and Mick had once used to plan heists a long time ago. Despite moving with his usual care and grace, a voice surprised him.

"I wasn't expecting you back for another hour or so."

"Sara? Where the hell are we? How did you get here?"

He heard the sharp sound of her staff opening, bare seconds before the tip was at his throat.

"You're not my Leonard."

She stepped into his field of vision. Something was slightly off about her movements. She moved into the light, and he gasped harshly. There were threads of silver in her hair, and the right side of her face was lined. The other was…well, he'd been around Mick enough to know burn scars. There was clearly no vision in her left eye.

"What happened?"

"If you were my Leonard, you'd remember. But you're not him…you're…young."

He glanced around. "I know we're in Central City, but _**when**_ are we?"

"2033."

* * *

"Fifteen years. And we're…together?" Sara asked.

Leonard looked down at her, still with that soft look in his eyes. "Meeting you - her - was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Now I _**know**_ you're not my crook."

He chuckled softly. "He still pretending he doesn't have any feelings?"

"Sometimes."

"He's an idiot. So're you, if you let him get away with it."

He was walking on Sara's left side, and she frowned when he tried to take her arm to guide her around some debris. They both heard very familiar voices up ahead and quickened their steps.

* * *

Leonard strode quickly to his Sara's side. He cupped her face in his hand and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"All right, beautiful?"

She chuckled softly at that. "I am now."

"What happened here?" the younger Sara wanted to know.

"Probably best not to say," her counterpart replied.

She stepped into the light, and the two women contemplated one another.

"Why didn't you have Gideon heal you?" Sara asked softly.

Older Leonard pulled his Sara tight against his side. "Probably another thing we shouldn't discuss."

"Is there anything you _**can**_ tell us?" younger Len asked, crossing his arms and leaning against a convenient doorframe.

"I could," his counterpart replied. "Not sure if you're smart enough to listen."

His Sara elbowed him. "He's you. He's smart enough."

"He's me, fifteen years ago."

 _ **"He's**_ standing right here," the younger Snart reminded them.

Older Len tucked his Sara just a bit tighter against himself. "There's exactly one thing you need to get through anything this universe - or any other - throws at you. She's standing right beside you."

The younger couple eyed one another speculatively. They weren't exactly averse to the idea.

"Any idea how we -" Sara began.

There was a flash of blindingly bright blue light, and the older couple found themselves standing alone in the ruined warehouse.

"Think they'll figure it out?" Sara asked.

"She may have to explain things to him a few times," Snart replied, smirking at her, "but I'm sure he'll catch on…eventually."

* * *

"Snart! Sara!"

Snart forced himself to his knees and shook his head to clear it. He was on the bridge of the Waverider. Raymond was waving a device of some sort in their general direction - presumably, whatever had grabbed them back from wherever they'd been. And Sara…

He staggered to his feet and over to her side, carefully helping her to stand. He brushed her hair back from her face and sagged in relief. Her face was young and unmarked. Two bright blue eyes stared up at him.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Was it even real?"

"It felt real," Sara replied.

"Too real."

They were still standing very close. Len was still gently tracing the left side of Sara's face.

"Either tell us what happened, or get a room," Mick said, from far too close.

"You know those Christmas movies where an angel shows you your future?" Sara asked.

"Um, yeah?" Jax replied, looking just a bit perplexed.

"It was exactly not like that," Snart concluded.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gideon, I need to know if it was real!" Sara insisted, raking her fingers none-too-gently through her hair.

"You know I can't do that, Captain Lance. Even if I still had access to the full timeline, I could not give you information about your own future."

"Gideon, please!"

Sara's voice was just this side of pleading, a tone Gideon hadn't heard since the day she'd begged Rip to let her save her sister.

"I regret that I cannot help you, Captain," the AI answered gently. Gently? How did a computer manage that?

"I got this, Gideon," Snart replied quietly.

"As you wish, Mr. Snart."

He crossed the dimly lit room and sat beside Sara on the bunk. "You OK, assassin?"

"I need to know if it was real," she spit out.

"Why? So you can make yourself crazy? You watched Rip obsess over an event and try to stop it, and all he really managed to do was force himself to live through it over and over and never change the outcome. If you want to avoid any chance of ever becoming burned, you'd better pick a different career."

"I am compelled to point out -"

"That I could retire right now and still end up burning my face off in some weird household accident. Yeah, thanks, Gideon, I know."

Snart slid a tentative arm around Sara. "You are the bravest person I know, but…fire…it's enough to rattle anyone."

"Anyone except Mick," Sara retorted.

Snart continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I think the only way to stay sane is to just treat it as another potential future, like your friend Oliver in Star City."

Sara sucked in a ragged breath. Then a second. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. And you know, other you could still handle herself. She had me with that staff. If I hadn't known enough to stand down, she would have laid me right out."

Sara leaned in to his side and rested her head on his shoulder. "She would, wouldn't she?"

"Damn straight."

"You - he - was still with her."

"Where else would I be?"

She ran a hand fretfully over his chest. "But you love beautiful things."

At that, Len straightened up and turned a bit to face her. "You are not a thing, Sara." He reached up to stroke the left side of her face. "And this is not what makes you beautiful."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Because stillthewordgirl asked so nicely!**_

 **Central City, 2033**

"Stop thinking about adding more proximity alarms and go to sleep," Sara mumbled, without bothering to open her eyes.

Len's lazy hold on her tightened reflexively. "I'm sorry. I don't know how they managed to get in here. I need to -"

"Don't you _**dare**_ say you need to protect me!"

His grip turned fierce. "I do. You are all I've got left in this miserable excuse of a world. I can't lose you, too. I just…I can't…"

Sara sighed, her face pressed into his collar bone. She didn't generally like to be held quite so tightly, but she also knew that Len only did it when he was well and truly frightened. And it took _**a lot**_ to scare him.

"I don't think proximity alarms would have kept them out," she murmured, petting his shoulder lightly, hoping to impart a measure of calm.

"That's what scares me."

"A bipedal man eating shark, speedsters, and a telepathic gorilla, and meeting your former self is what scares you?"

"The idea that someone could get in here and could take you away from me terrifies me."

"Nobody is taking me anywhere," she informed him.

Len felt his lips twitching at that, somewhat against his will. Sara's feistiness could always coax a smile. He relaxed a bit and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I know they said it was only fifteen years, but they - we - looked so young."

"We were, in some ways. I'd forgotten…" Sara's voice trailed off.

"Forgotten what?"

Sara sighed wistfully. "She was so beautiful."

"You _**are**_ beautiful," he told her in a tone that brooked no argument.

He shifted them around a bit, so he was leaning up on one elbow, his free hand cupping Sara's face. He pressed soft kisses to her eyelids, cheeks, and chin, with no regard for whether his lips landed on scar tissue or smooth flesh. She finally smiled when one kiss landed on the corner of her mouth. He kissed her lightly on the lips, then brushed her hair back from her face and leaned back slightly.

"We lost so much that day," Len recollected, "but if I'd lost you, too…I wouldn't have survived that."

"Yeah, you would," she argued. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"You're the strong one. Always have been."

She eyed him then, a little smirk playing over her lips. "You tried to protect her 'blind side,' didn't you?"

"Habit."

"I didn't see any bruises."

"We were only alone together a few minutes. I expect she was overcome by my charm."

Sara chuckled and swatted at him, and Len rolled onto his back, settling her against his chest. His fingers toyed absently with the ends of her hair.

"Do you think they know how lucky they are?" Sara wondered.

"We're the lucky ones."


End file.
